Two days to go to the 86th Academy Awards! We love film, but here at Retrovert what we are really interested in is the fashion. We can't wait to see the fabulous gowns on the red carpet runway, but also to find out who is going to win the Oscar for Best Costume Design.

Nominated are Michael Wilkinson for American Hustle, William Chang Suk Ping for The Grandmaster, Catherine Martin for The Great Gatsby, Michael O'Connor for The Invisible Woman and Patricia Norris for 12 Years a Slave. 

It looks like the odds are on for Catherine Martin to clinch the award with her work on The Great Gatsby. She worked alongside Miuccia Prada and the Brook Brothers to produce breathtaking 1920s inspired designs. The 1920s is one of my favourite eras and if you fancy channelling your inner flapper then here's how to Get the Gatsby Look with Twenties Accessories. 

If you take a look at previous Oscar winners for Costume Design, then it looks to be in Martin's favour. She won back in 2001 with Moulin Rouge! so she's proved she can do it.

Films featuring the iconic Jazz Age of the Twenties have fared well too. The Aviator won in 2004, also featuring Leonardo DiCaprio in some very dapper suits and Chicago won in 2002 with its fabulous flapper fashions. The Great Gatsby from 1974 clinched the award for Best Costume too. 

Did you see the Great Gatsby - what did you think of the costumes? Do they deserve to win the Oscar? Let us know in the comments below. 

Sophie from Retrovert x

The couture house Bellville Sassoon started life in 1953, when Belinda Bellville founded Bellville et Cie. As the company boomed and gained popularity with London society, it soon needed another designer to meet growing demand. Bellville hired the talented young designer David Sassoon in 1958, and they went on to be a successful design duo, with the creation of the Bellville Sassoon label in 1970. 

In the main exhibition, their 1960s dresses had to be my favourites by far. I'd love to wear this one! 

And I'll take one of these gorgeous hand painted coats too please! 

Many of the gowns the designed were for wearing to high end events, like the Met Ball, so have a dramatic costume feel. 

Their more modern dress were less my style, but the detailing and quality of embellishment was still stunning. 

And I'll leave you with these red stunners. 

Which one of these Bellville Sassoon designs would you most like to wear?

We are very excited about going to our first vintage fair of 2014.  Judy's is back in the Cambridge Guildhall on the 18th January from 10.30 - 4.30 and we'd love to see some of you there! It's a sale event so the perfect place to pick up a bargain. 

We will have a rail full of bargains for just £5 and £10. This is pretty much all vintage stock that is new to us so not discounted rejects, just great value! 

We are also offering 10% of all our other clothing, including designer pieces. 

And not forgetting accessories, we'll be bringing a great selection of handbags, brooches and necklaces too! 

You can RSVP for the fair on Judy's Event Page. 

Have a fantastic week and looking forward to seeing some of you on Saturday for a fix of vintage! 

Sophie 

A few of my favourites have to be the quirky characters - isn't the babycham deer so fun! 

And what better to receive all wrapped up with a ribbon and bow, than a fabulously bold bow brooch...

And finally, for those that love the sea and the colour blue like I do, how about these beauties?

If you would love to get your hands on one of our beautiful brooches for Christmas, then get in touch or email us at retrovert@retrovert.co.uk and we'll get straight back to you - last posting date is the 19th. They are all priced between £5 and £10 (plus p&p) so they make fab stocking fillers and little presents! 

Have a super week, 
Sophie x

We are very excited that Cambridge Vintage Fair returns to the Guildhall tomorrow. If you are looking for the perfect dress for the party season, then this is the event for you. And also the perfect place to do some Christmas shopping if you are looking for one of a kind gifts. 

Here are the top three vintage party dresses I will be bringing along to the fair. 

Asymmetric 1960s Cocktail Dress. This gorgeous vintage piece has a perfect hourglass shape and is so very unusual with its gold embroidery and half cape. 

1950s Chiffon Party Dress. If you are looking for something with Mad Men style this classic 50s shape dress is just the ticket. 

1960s Cheongsam Wiggle Dress. And if you fancy something a bit different, this original oriental dress, made from a beautiful woven satin, is sure to impress. 

If you've already found the perfect dress for the winter season, but need the perfect accessory to go with it, then we've got plenty of exquisite vintage bags too! 

And we will also have our vanity case full of elegant and kitsch vintage brooches. These little beauties make lovely presents, whether for yourself or a vintage loving friend! 

Hope to see some of you at Cambridge Vintage Fair tomorrow! You can check out the Facebook Event page for details and to let us know you are coming. 

Sophie x

Well it certainly is getting chilly now! The arrival of winter is something that I definitely don't look forward to, but if I had to choose one redeeming feature, it's that the time has come for our vintage winter wardrobe to be unearthed. 

And one of my favourite winter garments is a good old fashioned cape. They are wonderfully warm and are great for a splash of uplifting colour. Coats are all well and good, but with a cape you don't have the problem of getting a chunky vintage knit jumper into the arms, and you could even wear a cape over a coat if it is exceptionally chilly! At last years Mill Road Winter Fair I had an outside stall and my vintage wool cape was a life saver. 

Here I am wearing my vintage cape on an autumnal day at Wimpole at War. It is by 'Foxhunter' and is all wool in a striped pattern. It looks brown and green from a distance, but when you get close it is an array of orange, pink, green and brown, so perfect for a colour addict like me. It also has a fabulous twisted fringe. I inherited it from my Nan too, so it is extra special to me. 

If you fancy getting yourself a vintage cape (or even another one, like I do!) then here are my favourites that are available on Etsy. The tartan ones are rather brilliant, and are very on trend right now. If I had to choose one of these for myself I'd go for the green one with the silky lining - what about you?

Stay warm and have a great day! 

Sophie x

Those of you who have visited us in person at one of our events will probably have met my Mum, as she often helps out on Retrovert's stall. Well she is not only fabulous for that, but she has also generously handed down to me the few items of clothing that she had back in the 60s and 70s. 

I treasure each item and I wanted to share with you my absolute favourite. It's a check top and maxi skirt ensemble which she probably bought in 1970 when she was a student in Oxford. Here I am wearing it at my visit to Anglesey Abbey. 

It has really nice detailing, with broderie anglaise edging, an unusual shaped waist and a line skirt complete with a ruffle.

The absolute best thing about it though has to be that my Mum wore it for her going away outfit after her wedding. Isn't this a such a wonderful photo! (And don't you think my Dad looks a bit like Austin Powers!) 

Do you have any clothes that were passed down to you? 

Only two days to go until Judy's Vintage Fair returns to Cambridge! Come on down to the Guildhall on Sunday 13th October to stock up on vintage fashion perfect for this autumn. 

Here is a sneak peak of my favourite items that are just the thing for staying stylish, but cosy, now the summer is over! 

So that's just in a drop in the ocean of all our gorgeous Autumn/Winter stock. Further delights include 50s party dresses, an array of tempting vintage bags, gorgeous vintage brooches and, of course, the £5 bargain box! 

Hope to see some of you at Cambridge Vintage Fair. 

Sophie x

On my recent visit to Norwich I had the chance to pop in to the newly refurbished Bridewell museum. The city has a rich manufacturing heritage and the museum showcased many of its local industries from the past. 

A room full of vintage adversting showed the breadth of businesses that were started in and around Norwich. Food products were popular, with the likes of Caley's chocolate and Colman's mustard. I very much wanted to play shop with this antique till. 

The museum was very well set out, with interesting displays, as well as engaging reconstructed sets - the best of which was a Victorian pharmacy filled to the brim with weird and wonderful antique jars and equipment.

The textile industry in Norwich was huge, with Worsted cloth and skills in weaving and dyeing aplenty. One of the things that really took off in the 1800s was shawls, inspired by Indian imports, with intricate woven and printed patterns. If you are interested then The Norwich Shawl Story is worth a read.

I would have loved to been able to flick through the pages of this pattern book of elaborate silk samples. 

And also I'd loved to see this fabulous Jacquard loom in operation. There used to be thousands of looms like this in Norwich, but now this is the only survivor. 

Probably the part of the museum that got me most excited was the shoe exhibition, such a treat for a vintage addict like me. A room filled with shoe eye candy from all eras, from elegant silk slippers to groovy 70s platforms. The most interesting piece of footwear was this thigh high boot, which was designed to protect nurses from snakes in Burma during World War 2. 

It was also a rather exciting coincidence to find this giant advertising shoe from the 50s which was almost identical to the original pair I happened to be wearing at the time. Can you see the similarity?

At the end of the museum was this 1950s living room set. Oh how I wanted to take everything home with me. Fifties prints have to be my favourite for home furnishings. 

So if you are ever in Norwich I fully recommend popping into Bridewell Museum for a chance to discover the rich past of the city.

And if you want to know more then check out my post 5 Places to Visit in Norwich for History and Vintage Fans. 

Sophie x

Today I wanted to share another lovely place that we visited on our Devon trip. Fingle Bridge is a 17th century stone bridge over the river Teign in Dartmoor. It is a remarkably tranquil place and perfect for walkers and nature lovers - we've seen kingfishers and otters both enjoying the crystal clear waters. 

But it's not just the wildlife that enjoyed the river! As you saw in my post on Slapton Sands, I can never resist the chance for a paddle... (Even though it was freezing!)

I wore my new Seventies maxi dress, which has a psychedelic print I just could not resist. I teamed it with my green coat, which is not actually vintage, though I have had it practically half my life so it seems like it too me! However, with its corduroy fabric it is very much reminiscent of 70s fashions. I also wore my 50s Daniel Masson hat, to protect me from the Dartmoor drizzle. I have a fabuolous late 60s Bernat Klein hat that would have gone so much better with this outfit, but unfortunately I didn't have it with me. Just goes to show you can never take too many hats on holiday! 

Fingle Bridge is not always the most peaceful place, one early morning each January it is crossed by hundreds of classic cars and motorcycles on the Exeter Trial. Here is a competitor tackling the tricky ascent after crossing the bridge. 

Have you ever been to Fingle Bridge?